Amer Zarka, MD
Cardiology · Santa Ana, CANPI 1629096664
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 93.9% of the total across 254 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. It is spread thinly across 28 manufacturers, the largest accounting for just 19.0% — the pattern of someone who eats at a lot of different presentations. Reporting peaked in 2022 at $1,427 and has fallen 66.0% since, to $485 in 2025.
Across 254 payments — averaging $23.76 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Novartis$1K
- Boston Scientific$810
- AstraZeneca$668
- Amgen$508
- Johnson & Johnson$347
- Abbott$302
- plus $2K from 22 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$5,67094%
- Education$3656%
Most of this is food and beverage — typically meals provided during product presentations at a clinic or hospital. Nationally that is the single largest category of reported payments by count.
General payments by program year
Who reported the general payments
Companies are grouped under their corporate parent — a single manufacturer often files under several CMS reporting entities. Research and ownership payments are counted separately and are not in this table.
| Company | Payments | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Novartis | 85 | $1,146 |
| Boston Scientific | 10 | $810 |
| AstraZeneca | 24 | $668 |
| Amgen | 24 | $508 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 17 | $347 |
| Abbott | 5 | $302 |
| Novo Nordisk | 12 | $257 |
| Angiodynamics, Inc. | 1 | $256 |
| Scpharmaceuticals Inc. | 8 | $231 |
| Merck | 12 | $229 |
| Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC | 11 | $199 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 6 | $122 |
| Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, PLC | 5 | $121 |
| Pfizer | 5 | $107 |
| Cardiovascular Systems Inc. | 1 | $100 |
| Bayer | 4 | $89 |
| Lilly USA, LLC | 3 | $89 |
| Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc. | 3 | $78 |
| E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. | 4 | $71 |
| Atricure, Inc. | 2 | $63 |
| Abiomed | 2 | $49 |
| Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 2 | $43 |
| Edwards Lifesciences | 2 | $39 |
| Heartflow, Inc. | 1 | $30 |
| Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. | 1 | $25 |
| Bardy Diagnostics, Inc. | 2 | $23 |
| Exact Sciences | 1 | $21 |
| Kestra Medical Technology Services, Inc. | 1 | $14 |
What the payments were tied to
Products named in the reported payments. Only payments of $100 or more are attributed here — the typical reported payment nationally is a meal worth about $16, and listing those product-by-product would be noise.
How this compares
$6,035 in reported general payments places this provider in the 80th percentile of 156 cardiology providers in California.
Medicare billing
What this is not: this is the amount Original Medicare Part B allowed for services this provider billed in 2024. It is not their income. It excludes Medicare Advantage — now more than half of all Medicare enrollment — along with Medicaid and all commercial insurance, and it is gross practice revenue before staff, rent, supplies and malpractice premiums. CMS also suppresses any figure covering ten or fewer patients, so low-volume providers appear smaller than they are.
Most prescribed under Part D
| Drug | Claims | Cost to plans & patients |
|---|---|---|
| EntrestoSacubitril/Valsartan | 154 | $155,478 |
| EliquisApixaban | 120 | $129,492 |
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 106 | $119,867 |
| MounjaroTirzepatide | 46 | $51,628 |
| FarxigaDapagliflozin Propanediol | 56 | $44,394 |
| XareltoRivaroxaban | 28 | $40,124 |
| BrilintaTicagrelor | 62 | $40,047 |
| Repatha SureclickEvolocumab | 56 | $30,976 |
| TrulicityDulaglutide | 15 | $24,987 |
| JanuviaSitagliptin Phosphate | 21 | $21,042 |
| OzempicSemaglutide | 17 | $14,838 |
| VascepaIcosapent Ethyl | 29 | $13,547 |
| Praluent PenAlirocumab | 19 | $13,302 |
| Rosuvastatin Calcium | 289 | $5,670 |
| Icosapent Ethyl | 18 | $5,236 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Companies that both paid and supply prescribed drugs
These companies both reported payments to this provider and make drugs the provider prescribed under Medicare Part D in 2024. For most specialties this overlap is expected — a cardiologist who is paid by a cardiology drugmaker also treats heart disease. It is shown so the reader can see it, not because it implies anything on its own.
| Company | Paid to this provider | Part D cost of their drugs |
|---|---|---|
| NovartisEntresto | $1,146 | $155,478154 claims |
| PfizerEliquis | $107 | $129,492120 claims |
| Boehringer IngelheimJardiance | $122 | $119,867106 claims |
| AstraZenecaFarxiga, Brilinta | $668 | $84,442118 claims |
| Lilly USA, LLCMounjaro, Trulicity | $89 | $76,61561 claims |
| Johnson & JohnsonXarelto | $347 | $40,12428 claims |
| MerckJanuvia | $229 | $21,04221 claims |
| Novo NordiskOzempic | $257 | $14,83817 claims |
Reading this fairly. The Part D column is what drug plans and patients paid pharmacies — this provider received none of it, and it reflects how many patients they treat and what those drugs cost. Against peers, this provider's reported payments sit in the 80th percentile of 156 cardiology providers in California.
Other cardiology in Santa Ana
- Anil ShahSanta Ana$49K
- Thomas KimSanta Ana$47K
- Stephen CohenSanta Ana$6K
- Mahmoud Eslami-FarsaniSanta Ana$5K
- Bahram EslamiSanta Ana$4K
- Paul MeltzerSanta Ana$2K
- Norman LeporBeverly Hills$1.9M
- Sanjay KaulLos Angeles$1.1M
- Ramtin AgahMountain View$361K
- Jamshid MaddahiLos Angeles$59K
Where these figures come from
- Payments: CMS Open Payments, program years 2019–2025 (publication P06302026_06032026).
- Billing: Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners, data year 2024. Original Medicare Part B only.
- Identity: NPPES NPI Registry, July 2026.